Secret Space / The Flats Split Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
Slowly opening the door of this split is Secret Space‘s “The Window Room.” Marching through with a steady, booming drum pattern and a chunky bass groove, Dean Tartaglia and company softly swell into the mix. Their use of space and atmosphere allows for the track to capture this style of introspective rock clearly. Their recent EP was channeled much in the same direction, but bled with some upbeats pop tracks buzzing with distorted guitars (“Pit Of My Stomach”). “The Window Room” sheds all of that notion, staying relatively still with the monotonous, reflective guitar plucks maintaining their presence until the song collapses with Tartiglia’s soft coos, with the instruments crashing behind him. It’s post-rock, cast in a light of a lengthy build that dissolves too fast; like the implosion of a building. And when all is said and done, the Ohio Trio is walking amongst the rubble, preparing to rebuild and I can’t wait to see what they create next.
On the other side of the EP is The Flats is in the same light, but assembling their craft in a different manner. Instead of dragging out the melody, the sextet lays out a dreamy composition of instruments for the vocals to float over. Airy and thin are each individual instrument, but together they string a web of music that easy to get tangled in, and eventually “Machinery” consumes you with it’s dazzling delivery. The tune isn’t as dramatic as the crash of the other half of the record, instead focusing on one long roll of beautifully blended musicians.
This split showcases two bands who work well together with their styles of music, and it’s easy to see why they decided to release a split together. For those looking for glittering tunes with emotion captured through stunning soundscapes, pick this up.
Score: 8.5/10
